Download | Play 
Download | Play (h/t Bill)
GWU Constitutional Law professor Jonathan Turley covered this and other civil rights issues last night on Countdown with Keith Olbermann. Turley breaks down the lawless nature of President Bush’s warrantless wiretapping programs and chides Congress for lacking the spine to go after him.
A former Qwest Communications International executive, appealing a conviction for insider trading, has alleged that the government withdrew opportunities for contracts worth hundreds of millions of dollars after Qwest refused to participate in an unidentified National Security Agency program that the company thought might be illegal.
Former chief executive Joseph P. Nacchio, convicted in April of 19 counts of insider trading, said the NSA approached Qwest more than six months before the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks, according to court documents unsealed in Denver this week. Read more…
Kagro X at DailyKos makes some great observations — Bush has long contended that the illegal programs were undertaken in the wake of the 9/11 attacks, but this revelation would mean he had something else in mind. And if, as Nacchio contends, the Bush administration began their illegal spying operations well before the 9/11 attacks, it proves the program failed to stop the attack.
Filed Under: Civil Liberties, Corruption, Countdown/Keith Olbermann, FISA, George W. Bush, Government Policy, Intelligence Gathering, Jonathan Turley
One Trackback To “Former Telcom CEO: Bush’s Illegal Spying Began Months Before 9/11 Attacks“
Failed to prevent the attacks my ass.
It proves that their intention was to mount an attack. On the Constitution and the American public.
So, is impeachment STILL off the table?
Yellow Elephant Safari @ 2:
I think we can have a non-binding discussion about the possibility.
Um, so what is the point here? That illegal spying would be somehow be okay AFTER 9/11?
Probably started to slam any critic of his presidential appointment at the beginning of that year.
so who can guess what the shitstain-in-cheif called fuhrer bush was up do in doing this ? the motives and the agenda behind it ? and, gee, wonder if the corporate news sluts like ‘miss’ brian williams of nazi broadcasting co, charles ‘my nose is so brown i can’t breath’ gibson, or katie ‘i love my whitehouse gangbangs’ couric will ‘report’ on this story ? any body holding their breath ?
Verizon makes hundreds of unauthorized taps.
Why Boosh is annoying
He traded Sammy Sosa and fired Bobby Valentine. He hasn’t fired Cheney.
He killed a protected bird called a killdeer and paid a fine (1994).
He ran 3 oil companies and the country into the ground.
He pled guilty to a DWI.
He’s the current record holder for most executions by a governor.
He has poor reading, speaking, and cognitive skills. To all you Boosh supporters out there, cognitive means: relating to the process of acquiring knowledge by the use of reasoning, intuition, or perception.
After meeting British PM Tony Blair, the press asked him if they had anything in common and he said, ‘Yes, we both use Colgate Toothpaste.’
His grammar is horrible and sub-normal, he says ‘Me and Laura’ and extends words to non-valid parameters (i.e. ‘common sensical, do-badders, etc.’).
He got so excited while watching an NFL playoff game, that he choked on a pretzel and fainted (January 13, 2002). Actually, this, under the right circumstances, could have been an asset.
Although both he and his father declared war, not one of his twenty plus children, nieces or nephews have served in the armed forces.
He opted for the National Guard (using privilege to push ahead of others) during the Vietnam War, and there is a question if he fulfilled his military obligation.
He said: ‘If this were a dictatorship, it would be a heck of a lot easier - just so long I’m the dictator’ (December 18, 2001). Well, he’s certainly the “dick” in dictator.
He invaded Iraq on the basis that it illegally had weapons of mass destruction and they, like some of his military records, were never found.
He is against gay marriages.
He uses the bible as his guidebook (See “poor cognitive skills”) and lies like the carpet.
He fell off his bicycle before his daughter’s graduation - Spazz (May 2004).
He likes to trade on his good ‘ol boy southern charm yet he is from Connecticut.
He declared his Iraqi invasion as ‘Mission Accomplished,’ yet hundreds of American troops died after that declaration.
He is against the minimum wage and health care to help America’s working poor but is for reducing the tax burden on the wealthiest.
He exploited America’s fear on terrorism during his 2004 campaign for re-election.
He favors censorship, not trusting Americans to decide for themselves.
Why he might not be annoying
He gave Saturday Night Live’s Will Ferrell a new character (This might be borderline annoying, however).
He risked his life to visit and thank troops in Baghdad, Iraq for Thanksgiving in the middle of a war. He was the first American President to visit Iraq. But come to think of it, the turkey he served was plastic, so that makes him even more annoying.
Wasn’t Afghanistan and Iraq planned before 9/11 as well?
Oh….and the patriot act was written before 9/11.
I guess one should always think of the absolute worst thing this administration did, then go a little further, and think of something worse, then imagine that worse thing on top of a big pile of poo.. Probably the only way to get close to the reality of terribleness this administration has wrought.
If these guys didn’t make me laugh now and again, I would just jump out my office window.
david @ 4:
It invalidates BushCo’s claim that warrantless wiretapping was in *response* to 9-11 — they intended to spy on whoever they wanted, whenever they wanted, without warrants, without oversight.
the torture denial tapes
Do any other news programs cover this besides Olbermann’s?! I’ve never seen such a total shutdown on important news.
And friggin’ Comcast is moving MSNBC (read “nipping-at-the-rating-heels-of-Fox Olbermann”) up the dial and away from the channel grouping of other cable news networks plus require an upgrade of service and a digital box so that we may continue to receive MSNBC. Ailes + Comcast wouldn’t be in league, would they?
God, will we ever know just how crooked this administration is and has been? WTF? Why isn’t a single news reader or reporter on tv covering this? Do they even really keep up with what is going on? Wouldn’t the viewers be interested to know that bush was trying to tap their calls months before 9-11? I bet they would. What about the members of congress, was this okay with them?
Dang, that Verizon story was posted this morning. Ok, how about this one: FBI and Pentagon spying on Americans.
Bush ought to know his legacy will forever live with all those bushisms. When we are all gone, the bushisms will still be flowing strong. “Ha ha you just pulled a dubya”. I feel sorry for kids that are about to be called that. Dubya will replace ‘dumbass’ in the dictionary.
One more try, and I quit: FBI and Pentagon spying on Americans
sammy @ 5:
Before that! Remember, George is no stranger to this kind of “unseemly” activity. He has been a bully since college and even served as a hatchet-man while his father was President.
Not unless Bush and Cheney murder puppies, with a shovel, and ate them on live TV, would they be impeached. Even then, the Republican contraries in Congress and their spineless (complicit) Democrat allies would rationalize not bringing any charges against them. Unfortunately, the deaths of hundreds of thousands of Iraqis, along with the American military personnel, doesn’t seem to be able to raise the ire of the American public.
It makes me nauseous.
Many red state types think it sucks that we are getting spied on, but 9/11 makes it ok. Now the redstaters KNOW that it happen before the so called “enabling act”. this can only help us in 2008.
Also, I am finally ready for Al Gore to run. Obama is obviously an idiot, Hillary a Repub, and Edwards a closet bigot. I should be for Kucinich, but my subconscious mind can’t accept him.
AL!!!!!!!!!! Help us!!!!!
And if, as Nacchio contends, the Bush administration began their illegal spying operations well before the 9/11 attacks, it proves the program failed to stop the attack.
You realize of course that if this story gets any traction, they will claim that obstructive warrant and oversight requirements made it impossible for them to uncover the plot for the 9/11 attacks.
Can’t you just hear W.’s speech? “If my administration had possesed the much needed wartime poweres I’m asking for today, 3,000 American lives could have been saved.”
Uh huh… Let’s see if I have this right… All this shit…occurring at the Bush administration behest… AND BEFORE 9/11…. What the hell does that say them dammit??? Someone please step up and explain how this is NOT a CRIME purpetrated by this administration against the American population, Constitution and bill of rights as written at the time…In a time of relative peace and calm!!!!!
Hmmm, Can some freeper come out of the woodwork and spin THIS SHIT for me!!??? I’d really like to see that…. Oh and btw… THIS revelation should damn well put impeachment on the FUCKING TABLE NANCY!!!!!! JD
This is great, but we know the Dems will do nothing if this is true. They’ll hold meaningless hearings, like they have been, in hopes that they can wait until the Chimp leaves office and then wash their hands of the matter.
Thursday, 26 October, 2000 Iraq oil threat over dollar row
I bet it happened shortly after the above story broke.
Dude,
Get a grip. Clinton began twisting the telecoms back in 1996 (Calea) and in fact had more wiretapping legislation than what we see now.
here
blue @ 6:
Do I get the impression that you rather dislike news anchorpersons?
ILLEGAL DISREGARD OF THE 4th AMENDMENT - BEFORE 9/11!!
Chris from Ohio @ 10:
Well! If it’s okay for the president to blatantly break any law that suits him, it should be okay for any of the rest of us to do the same.
Is it only the FBI and CIA that generates NSL’s? My online research (just over the last few minutes) seem to indicate that NSL’s are authorized in various forms in several different pieces of legislation.
The use of illegal searches and spying before the so-called terrorist attack on 9/11 makes me even more uncertain about the cheney/bush role in that attack.
Jack Moss @ 25:
“Conservative news” lmao
Kinda makes the Incident that ALLOWED these outrages against freedom to occur in the public eye that they had planed long before it… Look a bit connected to anyone here at all?
Is 911 and The Patriot Act 1-2 connected?
Is 911 and Wire Tapping of US citizens … Connected?
Is 911 and the crack down of civil liberties … Connected?
911 and the Anthrax from a US BIOLAB.. Connected??!!??
Bush Administration on a 30 day CIPRO cycle starting BEFORE 911…Connected??
After 911 .. WE (you and me) are Now THE Criminals.. That is why if you talk to loud at an airport, you get shot…
After 911… Nursing mothers have to drink their own breast milk before boarding a plane…
After 911… You must have your identification papers at all times.
After 911… Everything you do can endanger the National Security
After 911… Personal Freedoms are overrated… and all Normal Citizens are suspects!
ETC ETC ETC ETC ETC ETC ETC ETC ETC!…
911 was welcomed by those in power… So welcomed in fact, why even bother to collect all that money on that short selling of the airline stock…
Now if we could only discuss the evidence to clarify that “Welcomed event” here on this site …
This came out recently. Want to know why the dems will not go ahead with impeachment? Blackmail? Watch:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rIO-tCPSfHA
Who knows….
juanchopancho @ 34:
Pelosi does not want to be president.
Jack Moss @ 25:
Well Certainly…
No one achieves those levels of power in this country … if they don’t play Ball..
I hold Clinton on no Pillar…He is a Scumbag… just like the rest of them… He set us up… and Bush knocked us down.
If he did not… He would of been “Kennedy’d”
Jesus.. I hope these revelations wake up the Visitors to this site..as to how much work we have cut out for us…
Stop supporting the “Official” Candidates…
They are the ENEMY!
sammy @ 35:
Pelosi has not demonstrated the resolve that a President would need. She needs to be a bastard about this issue. If not, the house needs to elect new leadership.
Jack Moss @ 26;
So, what are you trying to say there? That just because Clinton moved a bunch of telcom legislation thru the system prior to 2000, that this makes it OK for Bush and Cheney to piss all over the constitution and bill of rights? Makes it OK to encourage the telcos to collude with the administration to spy illegally on Americans in a time of peace? What exactly are you trying to say in that post? All things being equal and lets pretend we’re in a time of peace for a minute shall we… Would you want some stranger with no earthly reason to do this, begin listening to all ‘your’ phone calls for no reason other then they can? How bout me? Can I listen in too.. What if I work for the NSA or some law enforcement agency? Should I be allowed to spy on you in a time of peace without your knowledge, permission or legal opinion validating it? Or any logical reason for me to even want too do this activity on you?
Just how the hell do you justify that given our 200 plus year old culture of encouraging freedoms and personal liberties backed by a 200 plus year old series of documents which set this condition of representative democracy up???? I’d really like to know what your perspective on this is given all I just outlined…JD
Turley comments on constitutional issues. He is not officially a constitutional law expert, is he?
from GWU: J.B. and Maurice Shapiro Professor of Public Interest Law; Director of the Environmental Law Advocacy Center; Executive Director, Project for Older Prisoners
jtmonty46 @ 19:
Bush apologists would say it was stress that made them do it. Normally, the right answer would be, “they were drinking” but I guess Boosh wouldn’t want to admit to that.
So… Bush’s post-9/11 thinking actually began pre-9/11.
Guess he wanted to beat the rush.
It’s too bad the President isn’t a Democrat, or this would be front-page news and would trigger impeachment proceedings immediately!
And until the brown shirts start kicking down doors,
the masses will continue to lick boots.
Jack Moss @ 25:
That’s funny, I thought Congress wrote legislation.
Rusty Shackleford @ 43:
There are those who thinks Michele Malkin writes legislation as well.
Rusty Shackleford @ 43:
If you think that, then what are you saying? Are you saying that the Republican controlled Congress wrote that legislation?
Clavis @ 41:
Front page of Penthouse maybe ………
Impeach Bush ……. you mean americans do the right thing ? …………bwhahahahhaha
That’s why I like this place, the comedy :)